GRAMMY AWARDS 1985Best Classical Album /Amadeus Original Soundtrack / John Strauss (producer), Neville Marriner (conductor), the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the Ambrosian Opera Chorus and the Choristers of Westminster Abbey

Amadeus was adapted from the hit play by its author, Sir Peter Shaffer. Described by Shaffer as “a fantasia based on fact,” Amadeus
was inspired by persistent rumors from the early 19th century that
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had been poisoned by a jealous rival, Antonio
Salieri. Salieri was a successful court composer driven mad by the
knowledge of his own mediocrity when compared to Mozart’s God-given
genius. The film Amadeus much more than the stage production is a celebration of Mozart’s timeless music. All the music in Amadeus was newly recorded for the film by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner. Amadeus
was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won eight including Best Film.
The soundtrack on Fantasy Records won the Grammy for Best Classical
Album and was certified gold, selling over 100,000 copies.